Change Your Image
jhuizinga
Reviews
The Last of Us: Left Behind (2023)
Beautiful character development
This was yet another sweet and believable tale of human connection despite all odds. I really felt all the history between the two long time friends, in part because of the nuance that Bella Ramsey in particular brought to Ellie's character. It's amazing how well she displayed those subtle moments of deep and complex emotions.
Behind all the wit and sharp comments there are layers and layers of depth. You see Ellie's struggle when she wants to act on her feelings, that have been built up for a long time, but she does not dare to risks what she has. I dare anyone to find a character in any series that is as complex and well written in a show airing at the moment. In large part due to the source material, but we all know how adaptations can be lackluster. Fantastic writing and directing, and a stellar performance. Emmy material. I can't wait for next week.
Hotel Chevalier (2007)
Painful and stunningly beautiful
As someone who has been in a toxic relationship in the not-so-distant past, I cried throughout the short film. It captures so perfectly the power someone you love can have over you. You know you should not live them, but you just can't help it.
Like Schwartzman's character I too know what it feels like to want to run away from feel this deep love and admiration for the person you just know will destroy you. No matter how much you run away they never really leave you. It is perfectly captured in just a few moments. I love to cry over it. Thank you Wes Anderson.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Stunningly beautiful, but empty
This movie shows you how far animation has come, with a visual style that reminds me of Moana. Amazing lighting and use of color, but there's nothing underneath. Empty characters and no realistic story progression. Very disappointing.
BoJack Horseman: The View from Halfway Down (2020)
A worthy penultimate episode of the series
What better way to set up the series finale than to have the single hardest hitting scene in the second-to-last episode of the series. I had to pause for a few minutes after Secretariat's scene. Even as a non-native English speaker the raw emotion bursts from the screen. The relief and regret are perfectly captured in the poem and it's delivery by Will Arnett.
The effect of the poem is only heightened by the realization that this is all in Bojack's head, a projection of how Secretariat felt while in mid-air. A truly haunting look at the topic of suicide, perfectly balanced in it's execution.
The rest of the episode is amazing as well. Many moments stand out through the amazing storytelling, and as a whole the nuance and eye for detail are visible to even the most inexperienced TV viewer. The episode is perfectly balanced in it's humor and darkness, as we have gotten to expect from the show. It is hard to see how the episode could have been better.
All in all I am thrilled to have been alive in this age of television, where a show with a lead character that is half horse - half man can bring depth and nuance to the hardest of topics and make the viewer care about the animated characters that visually look nothing like us, but nonetheless share our deepest flaws and insecurities.
Thanks to all who made this piece of art, you made our lives better
Rick and Morty: The Rickshank Rickdemption (2017)
Bloody brilliant
It must have been an immense pressure to have to perform again after the rave reviews and great following that the show has gathered after season one and two. Like perhaps no show before the fans have cried out for a new season for what seemed like ages, and if I myself am anything to go by we the fans have refreshed the Rick and Morty google search pages and fan sites for months on end, dying for just a shred of news.
All the more characteristic and brave is the sudden April fools' day release. This could not be more befitting to the show and creators, always going against your instincts while making you laugh.
On to the episode itself then, did it put up to the expectations raised by the first two seasons? My oh my it did. Action packed, twists at every turn, full of both slapstick and deep-layered humour and with the dark undertone that has become the cornerstone of the series. In a day I have watched it twice, and I am about to watch it again. As with most episodes the second viewing was still as exciting to watch, perhaps even more so as the little details and layers become more clear.
The season premiere was all the fans could have hoped for, and it sets up the season perfectly. Let's hope the rest is as good as this!